


By The Moonlight In The Cemetery

by who_needs_words



Series: short fics for A-spec Archives Week 2021 [3]
Category: The Magnus Archives (Podcast)
Genre: A-spec characters written by an a-spec author, Asexual Jonathan "Jon" Sims | The Archivist, Asexual Oliver Banks, Aspec Archives Week, Canon Asexual Character, Gen, No beta we die like archival assistants, Takes place sometime during season 4, ace rings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-13
Updated: 2021-01-13
Packaged: 2021-03-18 08:47:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 805
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28740474
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/who_needs_words/pseuds/who_needs_words
Summary: Oliver Banks never expected to meet the Archivist again. He certainly never expected for them to talk about their ace rings over whisky either.(Or: Ace!Oliver talks to a fellow ace)
Relationships: Oliver Banks & Jonathan "Jon" Sims | The Archivist, Oliver Banks/Graham (past)
Series: short fics for A-spec Archives Week 2021 [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2106123
Comments: 5
Kudos: 44
Collections: Aspec Archives Week





	By The Moonlight In The Cemetery

**Author's Note:**

> title from "I Ain't Done" by The Crane Wives 
> 
> This is for the third day of A-spec Archives Week, the prompt for Wednesday was "Confusion/Community/Drinks"

“Is that all?” Oliver asked. He hadn’t expected the Archivist to track him down. 

He had figured their meeting at the hospital if it could even be called that would be the end of things. Oliver would share his experiences in Becoming,and then he would leave. The Archivist would awaken and go about life as a fully realized avatar of Beholding. 

End of transaction. 

He had not expected the poor, tired Archivist to track him to ask for advice in dealing with the Lukas. Oliver knew something was up, knew Elias had a plan, even if he didn’t know the specifics. He had no answers to give. 

The Archivist had come to him full of questions. About the Lonely, about Peter Lukas, about why Oliver had woken him. The only question Oliver had been able to answer were the ones about inevitability. And even Oliver knew the answers he had provides weren’t very useful. 

The Archivist had wasted a trip, they both knew it. Nothing had come from this interrogation. 

For now they stood their in the living room of Oliver’s rented house staring at each other. Oliver waited patiently for the Archivist to leave. He would assume the Archivist waiting for… something. Answers Oliver couldn’t give. 

He still hadn't answered Oliver’s own question so Oliver tried again. “Is there anything else” a pause “Archivist?” 

“I...” the Archivist started before trailing off “I just needed this to work.” He swallowed and Oliver caught what might be a tear shining in his eye. Oliver felt his heart constrict, he didn’t consider himself a cruel person, and the Archivist looked so tired. 

He sighed and carefully approached the Archivist. 

“Come here, Archivist. I may not be able to help with your fog problem but you look like you need a break.” For a moment Oliver thought the Archivist would flee. Reject this offer of friendship. Eventually though, the Archivist allowed Oliver to lead his deeper into the house. 

“Here we are” Oliver sat the Archivist down at the breakfast bar. The Archivist immediately slumped forward and buried his head in his arms. Oliver’s heart clenched again. This was no semi-omniscient creature of terrible secrets. This was a man in over his head. 

He walked to the cabinet and got down a bottle. “You a whisky guy?” He called out. 

Jon’s voice was muted but at least he replied “Don’t really care.” Oliver nodded to himself and filled a glass for Jon as well. He set the glass down in front of Jon, choosing to stand himself. 

Oliver quietly drought the glass to his lips and took a drink. 

After a moment Jon lifted his head and extended his hand to wrap around the glass. Oliver watched as he slowly lifted the drink and- huh. 

“Is that an ace ring?” Oliver asked before he could stop himself. Across from him Jon’s head shot up and he started at Oliver. His eyes dropped from olivers’s face to the simple balck ring around his right middle finger. 

“Ah...” Jon started “yes, it is.” He raised his face and looked at Oliver with a quirked eyebrow. In response Oliver just smiled. 

Oliver reached under the T-shirt he was wearing and pulled out a simple chain. On it a very similar ring. 

“Bought my first one when I was 16, lost that one in a swimming pool a few months later. Graham bought me my next one for my birthday. I lost that to the ocean when I Became.” Oliver explained, spinning the chin around his fingers. Jon’s eyes tracked the movements. 

“I bought this one once iI was back on land.” Oliver continued “Sadly it was too big. Kept falling right off, haven’t decided if I should get _another_ ring yet.”

Jon nodded quietly and raised his right hand. “My ex bought this for me when we first started dating, said she wanted me to be confident in who I was”. Jon smiled softly to himself, clearly reliving a pleasant memory. 

Oliver’s heart clenched again- this time in kinship. He too missed Graham, but at the same time he couldn’t help but be happy Graham had never seen what Oliver turned into. 

They were one and the same; this archivist and himself. Neither of them had chosen this. In all honesty, neither he nor Jon deserved the horrors they had experienced. Or the ones they were forced to inflict. 

Oliver unclasped the chain and slipped the too big ring onto his finger.

“Look Jon,” he started “I may not know how to help you, but if there is ever anything you need.” he extended his hand and waited for Jon to take his hand. 

Their rings clinked together and an almost joyous sound. 

“You just have to ask, alright”. Jon nodded and graced Oliver with a smile of his own.

**Author's Note:**

> Shorter than my other fics for this event, but I like this one a lot. Ace!Oliver now lives in my head rent free. 
> 
> If you see any spelling/grammar mistakes just let me know.


End file.
